Momento Mori
by cerberus angel
Summary: In a world where powers are granted far beyond imagination,fear runs amok and clouds judgement. Sam Evans, part of the Elite, left hand man to Shelby Corcoran and has a record for never failing an assignment, is ideally trained to expect the unexpected, but no amount of training prepared him for his next assignment. Rachel Berry, the girl he will damn all consequences to keep safe.
1. Teaser

_**In a world where a manmade chemical called Irodize exists. People are granted powers far beyond imagination with just one injection.**_

A man with dark brown hair and azure eyes watched transfixed as fire hovered over his open palm.

"Dustin."

Dustin closed his hand extinguishing the fire. He glanced up. "It works. Call the others, Shelby."

_**Those who are injected are no longer considered humans, but war machines and are feared by many.**_

"They are no longer human," A news reporter stated, "but monsters. They care for no one and kill without hesitation if told to."

_**But even the chemical had a downfall that no one predicted. If not injected into the host's veins after a certain amount time the body would go through withdrawal and slowly the person would die a painful death as their organs shut down one by one.**_

A man lay on top of an experimentation table. Cold sweat dripped down his forehead as his body convulsed. The leather straps pinning his body kept him from thrashing. He groaned in pain as his body felt like it was limbo between burning and freezing. "Help me." He whispered weakly at the woman standing next to him looking at him.

"I'm trying." She blinked back tears looking away. The man on the bed was one of the first to be injected with Irodize, but after two weeks the side effects began to show and no one knew how to stop it.

It wasn't until countless deaths of the people who volunteered did they figure out that one had to constantly inject the chemical into the host's veins to keep them alive. The chemical became a drug that was needed in order for them to live.

_**Then those who had Irodize injected into them began to procreate and a different outcome was discovered. Their offspring were born with Irodize already flowing through their veins and so their powers were permanent. Many gave their children up for experimentation, while others hid theirs. And so the hidden children began to be hunted down and experimented on…**_

"Your mission is to retrieve the subject Rachel Berry and bring her back here by her eighteenth birthday."

_**Sam Evans never failed at a mission, he was part of the Elite and the left hand man to Shelby Corcoran, one of the strongest and most influential woman in the private sector when it came to making war machines. He did what he was told, not caring what would happen to those he had to retrieve and moved on to his next assignment as if it were nothing. He was trained against receiving and dealing torture, he knew the art of manipulation and seduction. Ideally Sam was trained to expect the unexpected, but no amount of training had prepared him for his next assignment. Rachel Berry, the girl who will turn his life upside down and would damn all consequences to keep safe.**_

Sam watched silently as Rachel's hand touched his wound. A light glow began to emit from her palm and he felt warmth surround his wound lessening the stinging pain. It wasn't long before the glow died out and Rachel removed her hand. Sam looked at his wound to see the flesh had closed and there was no pain. All that was felt was dry blood.

"How are you feeling?" Rachel asked worried. "Better?"

"Yes." Sam held her gaze. He knew she was special. She was like him, but he had no idea what her power was until now. Doubts about taking her back to headquarters where Shelby waited for them began to plague him. She was the first assignment to actually make him pause and think about what he's going to do and what consequences lay ahead for her if he carried on the assignment. She would no longer be pure and that thought in itself irked him. "No matter what happens don't ever change."

Rachel looked at him confused. "Why would I change?"

_**Remember your mortality.**_

"We can never become Gods."

"What makes you so sure? By simply having powers we are above mere mortals."

"You're wrong, that only makes us mortals with power. We can never become Gods because we lack the one trait that differentiates them from us."

"And what's that?" He growled glaring at his former partner.

"Immortality."

_**Momento Mori**_

AN: This is simply a trailer/teaser for my future fic Momento Mori. (I've always wanted to do one of these since a lot of Troypay HSM fics I used to read had this in the beginning of their fics and I thought it was cool! =D) I've had this finished for a few months already, but I have now decided to post it. It won't be the next fic I'm going to work on because I have already decided which two will come next and talked it over with my beta. It probably won't be until late this year or next year when I will come back for this one. But I want to know if you're interested so I can keep this up or drop the whole fic entirely. Please review and tell me what you think.


	2. Prologue

Darkness was pierced by electricity and forced to the corners of the room as the electricity began to grow, expanding, taking shape and finally materializing into a human body. A young teenage boy with blonde hair and emerald eyes stood in the once again pitch black room. Not wasting any time, he pulled out a pair of night vision goggles and slipped them on. A smirk graced his lips as he took in every detail surrounding the room; seeing that it was empty except for the lone figure that he could hear breathing a few feet away from him. His target was hiding under the table.

He had five minutes to capture him and get out. His steps were light and measured making sure that his target didn't hear his approach until it was too late—making it impossible to escape. "Found you," he whispered as he crouched down and looked at the six-year-old boy who hid under the table frightened.

"Are you going to kill me?" he whispered, his voice trembling with fear.

"No. I'm going to take you somewhere else."

"Father said I'm not allowed to leave here," the little boy shook his head. "I can't…he'll get mad." The fear of what his father would do to him if he disobeyed outweighed the fear of the dark figure crouching before him. "Don't make me."

His hands curled into fists when he heard the fear in the boy's voice when he talked about his father. It was no surprise to him, but no matter how many times he crossed paths with others that had a similar story to the little boy in front of him, anger coursed through his veins. It disgusted just as it filled him with disbelief; he knew that it should no longer bother him, none of this should, but it did and he didn't know whether it was a good thing or bad. "He won't be able to get you." He placed a hand on his shoulder and felt him tremble. "You have a choice to either come willingly or by force." What his targets never seemed to realize was that depending on this choice it would set the atmosphere for the change that would completely flip their life upside down. "You have five seconds before I pull you out of there by force. One way or another, you are coming with me."

"Either way I don't have a choice."

"You always have choice in choosing how to use the cards that life has dealt you with."

"I don't kn—"

"Five."

"Let me th—"

"Four."

"Please, I ju—"

"Three."

"Stop, I ca—"

"Two."

"Okay!" The little boy quickly crawled out from under the desk. "I'll go with you."

"Good." He pulled out a piece of cloth and rope before proceeding to blinded fold the boy and bind his wrists.

The boy knew that if he were to ask him what he was doing or why, he wouldn't get an answer. So instead, he went with something simpler. "What's your name?"

"Sam."

"I'm Rory."

"I know," Sam responded as he lifted the little boy and placed him gently over his shoulder. "I don't want to bind your mouth, so refrain from any form of speaking until we are in the clear." His only response was the nod he felt against his back. "Good."

"You have to get out now." A male voice echoed in his earpiece.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked as he headed toward the door. "We should still have a least two minutes and a half."

"Key word is should."

"What the fuck happened?" Another male voice asked through the ear piece.

"Someone hacked into my system and is reversing everything. If you're not out of there in sixty seconds the alarms will go off and the man hunt will begin."

"We were instructed to avoid any unnecessary combat."

"How the hell did you get hacked? Aren't you supposed to do the hacking? I thought you were one of the best, Artie."

"I am, Jesse. I checked through all their records they shouldn't have anyone of this caliber. It was supposed to be a clean in and out job."

"There has been a leak," Sam growled, running up the stairs toward the roof. "Jesse, where are you?"

"You have thirty seconds." Artie cursed. "You have got to be fucking with me!"

"What's wrong?" Sam asked, alarmed. It was rare for Artie to lose his composure.

"They've traced my location."

Sam and Jesse both heard the tremble in Artie's voice.

"Artie, hang in there."

"You have ten seconds."

"Sam, I am on the roof. Where are you?"

"Almost there." Sam took off his night vision goggles as he slammed the rooftop door open to see Jesse standing there looking pissed. "Artie get out of there." The words had barely slipped through his lips before they heard a door being slammed open through their earpiece.

"What do we have here?" A cold sinister voice echoed from Artie's line.

"Artie, hold on." Sam handed Rory to Jesse, who looked between concerned and pissed.

"I'll be right behind you," Jesse called out to his partner.

His feet pounded against the concrete, his veins burned with pure adrenaline as he jumped off the roof. The wind blew against him viscously, power coursed through his entire body. Electricity licked his entire body, taking away his physical form and turning him to pure energy that latched onto the power lines and traveled—knowing exactly where he was going. In matter of minutes he reached his destination. Electricity exited through an outlet in their hideout and Sam was able to manifest back to his human form. The breath rushed out of his lungs at the sight that greeted him. Most of Artie's electronics were wrecked by the struggle that took place. Blood coated the keyboard that Sam had seen Artie using minutes ago just as Jesse and him were leaving to begin their mission. He noticed drops of blood that led to the opened door. Sam followed them to the outside toward an alley and then the trail was gone.

"Is he dead?"

Sam looked over his shoulder to see Jesse's impassive face, but in his eyes echoed anger. "It's worse." After working with him for over a decade, Sam knew that at any moment Jesse would snap. "They took him." He felt a burst of pure telekinetic energy pass through him, almost lifting him from his feet.

Every car window within a three blocks radius shattered and car alarms flared to life. "I'll kill them," Jesse promised.

Sam sent a wave of electric energy through the air instantly shutting off the car alarms not wanting to cause a scene or attract any unnecessary attention. "I'll help you," he vowed.

They would have to stay in the shadows in order to track down and find those that took one of their own. There will be hell to pay.

* * *

**Two Years Later**

"Come in," Shelby responded, not bothering to look up as her gaze remained on the photo of the girl that lay within the file. Chocolate locks for hair and caramel eyes just liked her own filled her with mixed emotions. She knew this day would come no matter how much she tried to cover her tracks. All the people she had sacrificed and all the blood she shed was coming back to haunt her. They now called, no, demanded for hers._ "Is there another choice?"_

Her secretary came in. "Sam Evans is here."

"Send him in." Shelby closed the file and met Sam's gaze as he walked in. _"No, not for me." _

"You summoned for me?" he asked, watching her with an impassive face.

She remembered a time long ago when he could hide nothing from her when they first met. Then came a time when he was able to school his expression, but his eyes would show everything he was hiding and then two years ago, that passageway dimmed and hardened. He was finally able to make the perfect poker face along with Jesse. No one could guess what they thought or what they will do anymore. It frightened many of her colleagues, but then again this is what they had wanted. Jesse and Sam were two of the strongest of the new generation of what could bring war machines to a whole new level.

They had stopped trying to collect everyone born with Irodize in their veins a few years ago since it was nearly impossible to keep track of all them. At one point they had tried to use the media by feeding them stories of those with powers and made them feared far more than necessary. It was a horrible plan that backfired on them when more went into hiding. To counteract this mistake they developed a system that allowed them to cross reference anyone's DNA and see if it had Irodize and predict what type of power they can develop in the future. Now they collect only those that have developed or will develop a power they have yet to add to their ever-growing arsenal and very small children, preferably infants, so they could easily grow into their system and were able to shape their person into someone that would devote their entire being to them.

"I have another mission for you." Shelby handed him the file she had been looking through moments ago. She watched him carefully and it was by luck she caught the slight widening of eyes before his expression became blank again. "Your mission is to retrieve the subject Rachel Berry and bring her back here by her eighteenth birthday."

"Her power is classified as unknown…"

"The system couldn't identify the generic code of her power." Shelby tilted her head to the side as she peered at him.

Sam knew what she meant. Each power had a generic code within the Irodize. That was how they were able to tell when one would have fire instead of ice or electricity, but there was also other various powers that were not elemental. They had stumbled upon speed, shield, super strength, phasing, and mimic. There was rumor about rapid cellular regeneration that was rumored to be the closest thing to immortality, but as far as Sam knew there was no confirmation. Sam had no doubt in his mind that these powers were simply the tip of the iceberg.

"Something new." He looked at the photo of the girl. She looked pretty and for a moment wondered how long would it take for the smile on her lips to die away once he brought her in. The older they were, the harder it was to bring them in—especially since they already formed ties with family and friends. Sam envied them and the freedom they had before it was taken away. _"Is it better to have had freedom or never have it at all?" _He had seen many break down and become just a shell of their former selves. Even so, he stopped feeling anything for the older ones.

"I thought you would be up for the challenge."

"That's Jesse." Sam met her gaze. "I think he would enjoy this more."

"You may be right, but right now he's on another mission and I thought this suited you more than him."

"Why?" he asked.

For the first time in two years, Shelby saw curiosity in his gaze and knew she made the right choice. "That's up to you to figure out." He wasn't completely gone.

"When do I leave?" Sam asked, knowing she will no longer elaborate on that subject.

"You have tonight to pack up. Your ride will be at the front at 7:00 A.M. sharp. You should arrive at your new apartment in the afternoon and have the rest of the day to settle before you start school the next day."

Sam raised an eyebrow at her. "Is it necessary for me?"

"Yes."

"I thought this was a simple capture and go."

"It will be if you follow the instructions I have given you in the file." Shelby's tone left no room for argument. "You have three months before her eighteenth birthday to earn her trust and bring her in."

"Earn her trust?"

"Sam, we don't know her power and by default that makes her dangerous. The last thing I want is for one of my best to end up accidentally killed."

"Now I see why you chose me over Jesse."

"You are correct," Shelby sighed. _"This is one of the reasons."_

"I won't fail."

"I know."

Sam couldn't explain why he felt unsettled by her tone or maybe it was the way her eyes seemed to try to communicate something to him but for the life of him he couldn't understand. Then she blinked and the connection he felt she tried to make was gone. _"Must be my imagination." _"I'll take my leave now." He inclined his head to her in a show of respect to an authority figure, but it was more than that. Once long ago she had been a mother figure to him when she took both Jesse and him under her wing. Even though a rift existed between them now it didn't change the fact that she was someone very important to him and he would do anything for her.

"Sam." She watched him pause by the door. "Be careful."

"I know." He looked over his shoulder to see a sad smile curved on her lips. For moment he wanted to ask her what was wrong, but refrained from doing so. Something stopped him and the distance between them seemed to grow even more as he walked out of her office without another word.

* * *

A girl with dark chocolate hair and caramel eyes sneezed.

"Rachel, you better not be getting sick."

She looked at the guy beside her. "I can assure you that I am perfectly fine, Noah."

"I told you hanging out too much with Santana wasn't good."

"Shut it, Puckerman," the Latina growled at him as she came to walk on the other side of Rachel. It was second nature to them to make sure Rachel always stayed in the middle of them. "You're not that great of an influence to begin with."

"Don't worry, Rachel, if you find yourself with a cold I can keep you warm," Puck winked.

"Careful, Rachel. Rumor has it that his kisses can transmit STDs."

"That makes no damn sense," Puck glared at her over Rachel's head. "You were the one who started that rumor to begin with."

Santana grinned. "I was only trying to help your rep."

Puck opened the door to what used to be the choir room and let Rachel and Santana walk in first. "How would you like it if I started a rumor about you spreading STDs through hand holding?"

A gasp echoed in the room causing Puck to smile sheepishly at their guidance counselor Emma Pillsbury. "Puck, you must not spread false rumors like that," she warned. "It's bad enough that more than half of the student body doesn't take STDs seriously."

"So it doesn't spread through hand holding or kissing?"

Rachel bite back a smile when she saw the quarterback, Finn Hudson, look at Ms. Pillsbury, genuinely confused.

"What the hell are you doing here, Frankenteen?" Santana looked at him suspiciously.

"Santana, I thought I told you to cut back on the name calling," William Schuester, their Spanish teacher, said just entering the room.

She rolled her eyes. "How many times have I told you, Mr. Schuester, that you are asking for the impossible?"

Schuester looked toward Brittany for help.

"Come on, Santana. Being nice for an hour won't kill you," Brittany smiled at her and patted the seat beside her.

"Don't go jinxing me, Britt-Britt," Santana warned her as she took a seat.

"Finn, you do know what this meeting is for?" Puck asked, looking at his friend with concern. "It's for delinquents."

Finn looked at him, confused. "Rachel and Brittany aren't delinquents." He would know because he had yet to hear any mean stories about them and both girls treated him nicely. Maybe he was being biased, but shrugged it off.

"Rachel is mine and Santana's accomplice when it comes to pranks, while Brittany has some really serious issues."

"Mr. Schue." Finn looked at his Spanish teacher. "Did I come at the wrong time?"

"No you didn't," he responded and motioned for Rachel and Puck to take their seats. "This is exactly where you need to be." Before he could elaborate, two Asian students walked in.

"Sorry we came late," Mike apologized for him and his girlfriend Tina.

"Don't worry, we were just about to begin," Ms. Pillsbury told them, smiling and it instantly put them at ease. "Just take your seats."

Both Tina and Mike didn't waste time in choosing seats. "Since everyone is here, I would like you to welcome a new member into the club," Mr. Schue said, clearly not needing to since all of his students were already looking at Finn, but still wanting to break the tension. "Finn Hudson."

"So he knows." Santana looked at him in disbelief.

"Yes."

"I can't believe this," Puck grinned. "And you never told me."

"I didn't know who to go to." Finn looked away from his friend and looked at the floor. He remembered how confused and scared he was. He had yet to tell anyone and it was by complete accident that Mr. Schue had seen him.

"It's okay." Rachel placed a hand on his shoulder. "You're not alone."

Finn met her gaze, surprised. There were only a handful of times he had ever actually spoken to her, but he could almost say he knew her because of how much Puck mention her. A small smile formed on his lips, feeling more at ease. He hesitantly placed his hand over hers. "You're right."

Emma and Will shared a look as they watched them interact. This was what they had been trying to teach this group since they began almost two years ago. Will remembered how insecure they all were. Puck, Rachel and Santana had been together as an inseparable trio since before they came into high school, which had surprised him considering Puck became popular for being the bad boy and football player; Santana ranked up there with him when she joined cheerleading, and Rachel had joined a few clubs, but did nothing to attract attention to herself. Rachel was a wallflower yet she had somehow befriended Puck and Santana at a young age and they became very protective of her.

Will tried not to smile at the glared Puck and Santana were giving Finn. No matter how much the Latina argued with the Jewish boy, when it came to Rachel they would band together and Will had no doubt in his mind that Puck was just as protective of Santana as he was of Rachel—as well as the same applied to Santana. "Finn," he called out the newest member. "Why don't you show the others what you can do?"

Finn looked away from Rachel and met Mr. Schue's gaze nervously. "I don't really know how."

"That's perfectly fine. This club was created so we can learn how to control it."

The quarterback stood up from his seat and walked toward Mr. Schue.

"Breathe," Ms. Pillsbury instructed gently as she handed him a water bottle.

Finn felt sudden wave of tranquility when he met her gaze.

"Take your time."

He felt more confident in himself as he opened the bottle and closed his eyes. He remembered how it felt when it happened, a sudden tingling sensation started in his fingertips and spread throughout his hand. His eyes slowly opened as his right hand hovered over the opening of the bottle. The tingling sensation changed to that of tugging and the water slowly floated out of the bottle and hovered in the air below his hand. He slowly moved his hand so his palm would face upward and watched, fascinated, as it moved with his hand—the water hovering over his palm. Finn fisted his hand and the water formed into a sphere.

"That's amazing," Rachel whispered in awe.

Finn did the mistake of looking at her and opened his hand only for the water to scatter across the room, wetting everyone including himself. "I'm sorry." He quickly apologized embarrassed.

"There's nothing to apologize for," Mr. Schue chuckled.

"You did a great job." Ms. Pillsbury patted his back.

Puck wiped away the wet spots on his shirt. "Not bad."

Finn watched curiously as the wet spot instantly vanished from Puck's clothing and whatever he had done; he did the same to Rachel.

"Mind drying me as well," Santana called out to him.

"You have to come to me," Puck smirked. "I'm not getting up."

She simply flipped him the middle finger.

Brittany shook her head at their antics. "I'm glad to have you here with us, Finny."

"Maybe in the next game you can turn on the sprinklers to turn the game in our favor," Mike said.

Tina elbowed him. "Don't listen to him, Finn; he's a bad example."

"I'll try not to," Finn joked back before looking at Rachel to see her smiling at him.

"Welcome to the Misfits."

And all his fears and doubts slowly began to melt with those words. "Thanks." He belonged.

AN: I want to give a huge thank you to my beta MissBreePhoenix for taking the time to look this over. =)

AN 2: I hope you liked the prologue. As for what happened to Artie and how his abduction affected both Sam and Jesse will be revealed as the story goes on. Another thing there will not be triangle for the mere fact that I feel I don't feel comfortable writing one and I always feel bad for the other guy or girl even though I always root for the OTP. With that said there will only be Finchel friendship and you already know EvanBerry is the main couple, but as for other couples I'll let you guess until the time comes. ;) I'm really excited about this fic, but at the same time I'm not sure if this is going to be the next project I'm going to be working on fully because I still need to work on A Tale As Old As Time. Those waiting for Aut Viam I deeply apologize for the lack of updating. I hope you don't think I am abandoning it. It's just that my writing schedule has been out of sync and although I have the last two chapters for it finished I still need to write the remaining two chapters that will bridge that gap. If everything goes as planned the next chapter is going most likely be very long. Please don't forget to review and tell me what you think I love hearing from you. (^_^)

AN 3: I want to thank: sillystarshine, Jess, NorthernLights25, Starshine, Amelia, Annaliese, 19LoVeSpeLL93, melgold, The Wonderful Mistique, Keating's Disciple, GleeRachelberry, Lena, MrsPayne001, EvanberryFTW, Cribellate, livingNlaughin, LadyGigglesalot, and Guest for reviewing. Your words of encouragement mean a lot to me and gave me that extra push to take a chance with this fic. So I really hope all of you like the beginning so far. :D


	3. Chapter 1

A teenage boy with raven colored hair and dark colored eyes with a hint of blue in them stared aimlessly at the night sky. The intricate wolf piercing on his left ear gleamed menacingly under the moonlight. Dressed in a simple pair of dark blue jeans, a black muscle shirt that outlined his broad shoulders—a lean muscular frame leaving little to the imagination—and a pair of combat boots, he was not bothered with that the fact that it was below fifty degrees. The cold breeze blew harshly against him, rustling his clothes and sent a delicious shiver down his spine. When he exhaled through his nostrils, a fog formed from his breath. He welcomed the coldness that settled over the city, summer had ended and now fall was beginning, but that still didn't explain the sudden drop in temperature. His eyes narrowed slightly, noticing the dark clouds rolling through the sky toward his direction. They were not natural.

The door to the rooftop slammed open behind him. He didn't have to look over his shoulder to know who it was.

"Is this Rory's doing?"

"He's the only one I know that can pull this off."

"What the hell is he doing here?"

Before he could respond his cell phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out and answered it without bothering to glance at the collar ID. "Frieze speaking."

"Shelby has made her first move," his boss responded.

"I thought she might have. A storm is coming our way. Should I be wary?"

"Greet him with open arms and keep your eyes open."

"I will."

"You know what to do: from now on, both you and Flayme are on standby." He hung up, not waiting for a response.

Frieze placed his cell phone back in his pocket as he glanced at the teenage boy standing a few feet beside him. It was like looking into a mirror, they shared the same exact physical features except for the eye color. He had a hint of red in them. His younger twin wore a black leather jacket with black leather gloves covering his hands and the same intricate wolf piercing, but on his right ear. "I have to go meet Rory. You are to stay here and keep a look out for anything unusual."

"Got it," Flayme responded, his hands curling around the railing—making his black leather gloves strain against his knuckles.

"We are on standby until further notice."

"You have got to be kidding me."

"Boss's orders."

Flayme bit back a curse.

Without another word, Frieze climbed onto the railing and crouched on it. The muscles in his legs tensed for a moment before using the railing as leverage when he jumped through the air and toward the building in front of him. His left hand grasped the edge of the building and lifted himself up without breaking a sweat. The moment his feet touched cement, he took off running and leaped toward another building. Adrenaline coursed through his veins, and his lungs welcomed the familiar burn that not even the cold night air could cool. He ran the opposite way of where the dark clouds were going and it wasn't long until he found the one responsible for the storm coming.

"I was wondering what was taking you so long," Rory raised an eyebrow at him.

Frieze looked at the ten-year-old somewhat amused. "You could have always knocked at my front door."

"If only it were that simple. We have a five minute grace period before the Watchers see through the storm."

"What's the news?"

"Shelby has sent out Sam to retrieve Rachel. It won't be long until he comes to you for aid."

"Does he know to come to me?"

"No, but Shelby is certain he will come to you."

Frieze remained silent as he contemplated the information given to him. Both Dustin and Shelby seemed on edge over the girl and Frieze didn't know what to make of the situation, but his opinion didn't matter. He had only to follow orders. "Tell her I'll assist him in any way possible."

"If he fails in his mission you're to take charge."

"I thought that would be Jesse's job?"

"It will be, but if all else fails you are to take charge."

Frieze nodded. "I'll handle it."

Rory narrowed his eyes on him. "Make sure that all three of them come out unharmed."

"Is that Shelby's order or yours?"

"Does it matter?" He spat the question. Rory hated being left in the dark, especially when Shelby was relying on Frieze to keep Sam and Jesse alive. He didn't know the guy standing before him except for the rumors that spread about him being a cold-hearted killer. He never failed a mission and wouldn't hesitate to take out one of their own if ordered to. Frieze was mostly called in for a killing instead of retrieving, so Rory couldn't help but be suspicious when Shelby called in for him to be a protector as well as a retriever. "If they die I will kill you!"

Frieze walked toward him and didn't miss the way the boy's body tensed at his proximity. He reached out and placed his hand over Rory's head—forcing him to look up at him. "I have yet to fail a mission and I don't plan to now." There was only one thing Frieze valued in his life and that was loyalty. His younger twin was the only one to ever stay beside him; not fear him and so Frieze would not hesitate to give his life up for him. His boss was another exception, for he had been the one to take him and Flayme under his wing. Not even their parents wanted them and yet that didn't stop him in teaching them everything and taking care of them for years. He gave them a chance to prove their worth and have a reason to exist. For that, Frieze pledged his undying loyalty to him and would do anything his boss asked of him. The same loyalty Flayme gave him and the loyalty he pledged to his boss echoed in the gaze of the young boy standing before him. His loyalty was to both Sam and Jesse and in unintentionally showing this to him, Rory had earned his respect. He would do what is necessary to make sure that Sam and Jesse came out of all this alive. "I'll make sure you see them again."

Rory looked at him, shocked, and remained speechless as Frieze walked away from him.

"_**Show me your worth."**_

Frieze jumped from rooftop to rooftop as he remembered the first words his boss told him and Flayme. He made sure to live up to those words every time he received a mission to either kill or retrieve. This mission would be no different. He will not fail; he will be the tool his boss worked hard to create._ "I will show you my worth again…as your weapon I will not break or disappoint." _He landed in a crouched position on the railing, feeling the familiar weight of Flayme's gaze on him. The cold wind blew against him; caressing him as he closed his eyes and welcomed the cold embrace that offered a small amount of comfort.

"What did he want?" Flayme asked curiously as the dark storm clouds receded, leaving behind a clear night sky.

"He was on a mission."

"Did you help him?"

Frieze glanced at his younger twin, amused. He may be hardheaded and short tempered, which caused them to argue a lot because he was the opposite, but there was one thing they had in common. They looked after the younger ones and lent a helping hand from the background when possible. "I did, although he didn't need it. He will go far."

Flayme's eyes widened slightly. It was rare for Frieze to ever give any form of praise. "He won't break like the others?"

"No, he has someone to be loyal to."

"That's good to hear."

Silence reigned over them as they looked at the city.

"Don't you think it's strange that boss-man has us on standby?"

"Our vacation has been long overdue."

"I guess, but something isn't right. He seemed on edge these last couple of weeks—even more so after he talked with Shelby on the phone."

"We're his weapons, Flayme. He would not put us on standby if he needed us."

"You're right," Flayme sighed. "I'll have to find action somewhere else for the time being." A salacious grin graced his lips as his eyes zeroed in on a few girls. "I think it's about time I hit the city."

"Be on guard in case of anything."

"I will, Dad." Flayme waved at him before heading back to the door. "Don't stay up and wait for me."

Frieze knew that in three hours he would have to hunt his younger twin down, drag his drunken ass from a club and back to the apartment. He knew that Flayme could take care of himself and has proven it time and time again over the years but before their boss came into their lives, Frieze always looked out for him. Most likely a part of him always will until the day he died. It was a fact that never failed to quickly anger Flayme. Once he heard the door close, Frieze leaned forward against the railing; silently watching people walk on the sidewalks and cars drove by. It was one of his favorite pastimes along with cloud watching. His mind would drift off, wondering where they were going and how different their lives were to his. He knew that any moment he could go down there like Flayme and converse with them, blend in seamlessly, but there would always be a distance. He could only pretend but never be a part of their world.

The wind blew again, bringing with it a cold embrace. A small smile curved on his lips, he could be alone as long as the wind continued to blow. The one constant thing that was never afraid to touch him.

* * *

"_Rory?"_ Sam wondered curiously as he watched from his window the dark storm clouds in the sky recede. He was tempted to go out of his apartment and find the young boy, but instead remained in his spot. Rory was probably on a mission and he didn't want to end up in the middle of it accidently. The last thing he wanted to do was break the rules by interfering. He was still in trouble from what happened two years ago with the unauthorized mission to rescue Artie and the last thing he wanted was to drag Rory down with him.

The higher-ups were still breathing down Shelby's neck and expecting her to keep a tighter leash on him and Jesse. The only way she got them to back up was by breaking their two-man group and partnering them with two other people from a different sector. For the past two years Sam and Jesse were forced to go on solo missions and if they had to partner up Shelby would have to call Dustin Goolsby to send in someone from his sector. Luckily, he only had to do three missions that required a partner so far. The guy he had been partnered up with wasn't so bad. He was quiet and kept to himself a lot, but he never failed to deliver back up when necessary. They seemed to reach an accord after their first mission and from there on in Sam would make sure to request for him when Shelby had him doing a mission that required a two-man group.

Sam returned back to the couch and sat on it. His gaze landing on the open file that Shelby had given him the day before. He was going over all the instructions again and any details that seemed important. It wasn't long before his gaze drifted from the information toward the photo of the girl. The longer he looked at it, the more he couldn't help but think she looked familiar. He knew that he had never met her in person, but her features were similar to someone he knew. He couldn't put his finger on it yet. _"There's no point trying to figure it out now. I'll end up seeing her tomorrow in person…maybe then I'll figure this out." _A sigh slipped through his lips as he leaned back against the couch and his gaze landed on the ceiling. He hated long missions—especially when they were solo. It wasn't long before his eyes closed on their own accord and sleep claimed him.

* * *

_**He took another sharp turn at the end of the hallway, not bothering to see if it was clear. In the background, cries of pain echoed in the dark before being cut of abruptly. Sam had no doubt it was Jesse's doing. It took them a week to find the location Artie had been taken to and it took them less than half an hour to head over. Electricity glowed on his palm, lighting the dark passageways. The sound of small footsteps behind him had Sam glancing over his shoulder to see Rory trying to keep up with him. He had wanted to take the boy back to headquarters or at least arrange a pick up for him, but Jesse and him knew that if they did that, Artie's trail would have gotten cold—not to mention, Shelby would order them to retreat. **_

_**She had already sent the order and they chose to turn a blind eye in order to rescue their partner. They knew the consequences that would follow, but neither of them cared. A frown marred his lips as he continued to gaze at Rory; they were even willing to sacrifice his innocence. Sam shook his head to clear his thoughts. It was too late to go back and they were going to leave with Artie one way or another. The closer they got to the room he was being held captive dread clawed at him. God only knew what they did to him the entire week, there was no guarantee he would still be alive. Sam paused in front of the door, for the first time in years his body shook.**_

"_**Sam," Rory called out worriedly.**_

_**His voice brought Sam to the present. Without warning, Sam took a step back—gaining momentum before his foot shot forward. A current of electricity traveled through his leg and reached his foot just as it connected to the door with a force that had the door flying inward and off its hinges. The sight that greeted him had him frozen and the electricity in his palm dimmed.**_

"_**What's wrong?" Rory asked nervously when Sam had yet to move.**_

_**Dried blood coated the ground, making it appear copper instead of white like it was supposed to be. Artie's body was painted with crimson and black and blue bruises decorated visible skin. Sam's eyes zeroed in on the awkward way Artie's legs were bent. It should not be humanly possible.**_

"_**Is he there?" Jesse asked from behind him, barely catching up.**_

_**Rory looked at him with wide eyes, he was practically bathed in blood. **_

_**When Sam did not respond, Jesse shoved pass him only to stop dead in his tracks when he caught sight of Artie's mangled body.**_

"_**We have to hurry, reinforcements are coming," Rory warned them as he heard multiple footsteps approaching from down the hall.**_

_**Sam stepped back from the doorway and turned to where he heard the footsteps approaching. They never stood a chance against him. Electricity licked at his palm and shot forward, lighting the entire passageway as it hit its victims. A small smile curved on his lips at their cries of pain. He could have stopped there and knocked them out, but he didn't want to. Instead he applied more energy to it, silencing their cries and watched in fascination as their clothes, skin, meat peeled from their bones before exploding and there was nothing left. The hallway became pitch black.**_

* * *

Sam sat up; taking deep breaths through his nose, his heart pounding rapidly against his chest, his body felt cool and clammy from the thin layer of sweat that had his shirt sticking to his chest. He hated remembering that night two years ago. The nervousness and numbness that claimed him that night haunted him along with the satisfaction and right he felt when he killed all those men. Both Jesse and him had let their emotions cloud their judgment and that had been their downfall. They should have kept one alive for questioning instead of simply decimating them all that night. Ever since then, Sam had been very reluctant on using his powers for confrontation and instead used them for self-defense. The higher ups were not happy with his change in tactics, but he refused to become a monster. He saw how that night changed Jesse in more ways than one. After having to part, a rift had formed between them and neither knew how to breach it. Jesse had become more violent and would exert his power whenever possible and without hesitation.

The eighteen-year-old grabbed his phone to see it was six in the morning. His tense body unwounded slowly as he stood up and moved his shoulders in a backwards circular motion for a few seconds. He moved his head in a circular motion to stretch his neck muscles and made a mental note to not fall asleep on the couch again when said muscles protested at the movement. It was time to get up he had over an hour and a half to get ready and eat breakfast before heading to school. Just thinking about what awaited him for the next three months made him shudder. He hated pretending.

* * *

"Did you hear?"

"Hear what?" Rachel asked curiously as she closed her locker before turning to face her best friend Santana.

"We have a new transfer student coming in today." A smirk graced her lip. "Before you say anything the student is a he."

"I wonder if he's cute," Brittany smiled as she twirled a lock of her blonde hair around her finger.

"Would it really matter?"

"Of course it does, Rachel! It's been a while since we got someone new around here. I, for one, am tired of these boys. I want a real man."

Rachel shook her head, amused. "Won't this new transfer student be considered a boy as well? He's in high school after all."

"She has a point, Santana."

"Don't either of you dare ruin my fun."

"We wouldn't dream of it." Rachel met Brittany's gaze and shared a smile.

The sounds of whispers down the hall drew the girls' undivided attention. Rachel peered over the mass and didn't have to wait long to see what was causing the commotion. A boy she had never seen before was walking down the hallway. He wore simple white v-neck shirt that slightly clung to his broad shoulders and a pair dark blue jeans. The outfit was simple but brought out his blond hair that was still wet and slightly messy as if he combed it with his fingers—not really caring how it came out. It was his emerald eyes that caught her attention. They regarded those around him with a forced politeness. He didn't appear like someone who would brush a greeting away nor did he appear as if he would welcome it wholeheartedly. It was as if he were trying to hold everyone around him at arms length.

The moment his gaze caught hers, Rachel felt like a bolt of lightning had struck her. She could not look away and was able to see the surprise in his gaze that mingled with wonder and a hint of disbelief. Before Rachel could even begin to wonder about what she had seen, he blinked and determination took over. The hairs on the back of her neck stood, her palms became sweaty, and her heart beat rapidly against her chest as he continued to hold her gaze. It unnerved her and filled her with excitement. A part of her wanted to run from the emotions he was provoking and another part wanted her to stay and see what lay beneath his intense stare.

The bell rang, signaling the beginning of the school day. They had five minutes to get to homeroom before being marked tardy. "We have to go." Santana grabbed Rachel's wrist, forcing the girl back to the present and shattering the connection between her and the stranger.

Rachel fought back a blush as she looked away quickly and followed Santana. They had to walk pass the blond haired boy to get to their classroom. The back of her hand graced the back of his; sending a jolt up her arm and down her spine. A gasp slipped passed her lips at the sensation. She looked up in time to see his eyes slightly widening, various emotions reflected in his orbs like a broken record. Rachel wanted to say something…anything, but her voice would not cooperate. In that one moment so much had been revealed and shared unwillingly. Unspoken words hanged between them.

A tug from Santana had Rachel stumbling after her. She could still feel the weight of his gaze on her. Rachel looked over her shoulder and met his gaze for the third time. He was broken and she wanted to heal him.

AN: I want to give a huge thank you to my beta MissBreePhoenix, who took the time to look over this chapter even though she had a busy schedule. You're the best! =)

AN 2: I hope you like how the fic is progressing. Now you know what happened to Artie, but more will be revealed surrounding that time. Sam and Rachel have finally met. I was honestly nervous about the scene, but I like how it came out in the end.. I also hope you liked Frieze and Flayme's appearance because they will come out more in the fic. The next chapter you will see more familiar faces along with other characters making an appearance for the first time. Please don't forget to review I would love to hear your thoughts about this fic so far.

An 3: I would like to thank: MissBreePhoenix, ravenna. solo. 408, NorthernLights25, Keating's Disciple, SamchelFreak44, Lena, RachelBerryLover, and Princesakarlita411 for reviewing! You guys are awesome! =D


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